Zombie Apocalypse and the Reviving Love of God

A Reflection for Tuesday, March 24 by Sarah Roquemore Day

Lectionary reading for 03/24/2026: Psalm 143; 2 Kings 4:18-37; Ephesians 2:1-10

Selected Passage: Ephesians 2:1-10

Read

Ephesians 2:1-10 English Standard Version

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course[ of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Reflect

A few years ago, I was teaching Romeo and Juliet to a 9th-grade English class. To give our unit some contemporary relevance, I assigned my students a choice of ancillary texts, including young-adult adaptations of Shakespeare’s 400-year-old classic. Of these spins, the most unique was Warm Bodies* by Isaac Marion. The book is narrated by R, a zombie who falls in love with a human named Julie. At the start of the novel, R’s thoughts are muddy, his language garbled and choppy, his emotions flat, but one taste of love sets in motion a transformation that eventually restores his humanity. Through R’s point of view, we experience the return of R’s senses and language as love brings him back to life. 

Warm Bodies

The first three verses of Ephesians 3 read like a Zombie novel to me. Maybe it’s the repetition of the words “dead” and “flesh”, or the image of “children of wrath” mindlessly following “the prince of power of the air,” but I can’t help but picture a bunch of hollow-faced Ephesians walking the earth, growling… “mmm, braaaaains!”

Often, when we think of sin, we think of the specific and deliberate actions we take in opposition to God: the “things done and left undone” that Christians in liturgical traditions kneel to confess each week. But in this context, sin is not just about individual, intentional actions: it is a collective disease of the mind, a Zombie epidemic that malforms us into wrathful and inhuman creatures, numb to the spirit of God that was made to move within us.

In Warm Bodies, R reanimates as he experiences love and connection with a living being. In the same way, the life and love of Jesus are the antidote to death within our souls and the world. By “raising us up and seating us with God in heaven,” Jesus gives us the life we were always meant to have, one where we experience intimacy with God, community with others, and beauty in creation. We were not made to wander the world in unrest, propelled by hunger and scarcity. We were made to flourish and bless the world with the “good work” God has prepared for us.

Respond 

Read the text again and take some time to journal or meditate over the following questions:

• In what areas of your life do you find yourself living like a zombie? Are there any thought patterns or habits that you have adopted mindlessly? 

• What does it mean to be seated with God? Where might God be calling you to sit and rest in intimacy and trust?

• What does it mean for you to recognize that you are God’s workmanship? How does this identity change your perception of yourself?

• What “good works” do you feel God calling you into during this season of Lent? How might you play a part in reviving a dead world with God’s goodness, grace, and love?

Rest

Living God,

Giver of Life. 

Maker of heaven and earth.

In the garden, you created us, breathed life into our lungs, and called us Good.  

Though sin pulls us towards death and wrath, your grace calls us to life and intimacy, seating us at your side.

Today, may we breathe in your reviving love and awaken anew to our identity as your beautiful workmanship, compelled to bring your goodness to life in the world. 

About the Author 

Sarah Roquemore Day is a middle school drama teacher who sometimes writes, too. Growing up, she drove Sunday school teachers and youth pastors crazy with her constant questions and need for further information. Today, she continues to be curious about the complex nuances of scripture and theology, reading the Bible critically while staying open to the mystery and wonder of the Holy Spirit. Sarah lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband Bob. She has recently entered her auntie era and loves doting on her precious nieces, Kellyn and Kai-Ling.